v_charneau
Registered: December 2004
Posts: 4,164
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No. 488 —38.0 x 54.0 cm. Watercolour and Ink.
What the text says:
“Colliery and Fox”: At the Aso Kamimio Pit opened in Meiji 28 (1895) in Iizuka City, which was
called as Kasamatsu Village until Meiji 42 (1909)
In Spring Meiji 33 (1900), at Kamimio Pit, a coal miner had an accident and burnt himself, and
was treated at home. One night, suddenly, a mass of what seemed to be people with two doctors
came to his house. His wife, who was exhausted from looking after him, thought that they might
be his superiors and bosses. There seemed to be about 20 people, some carrying babies, and each
politely delivered their condolences to his wife. The tiny room was packed with these guests.
The doctors started treating the patient by slowly peeling off the bandage wrapped around his
body, causing the patient to scream in pain at times. The visitors all said to him to be patient, to get better. The doctors then peeled off his skin, which took a long time. Afterwards, all of them vanished like a puff of smoke in the dawn. The patient had been left completely cold and died when the dawn came.
His wife cried out and neighbours gathered with surprise. His bosses and the doctor rushed down
to the house. The body was completely skinned, and no one could look at it. All realized that this wrongdoing was committed by wild foxes. All got furious and stamped to show regret, but it was
too late to capture the foxes.
What a miserable family! His wife, who had poor eye sight, had to take care of a 4-year baby girl
and her blind 20 yrs old brother-in-law. The light was dim and the foxes took advantage of that!
Foxes were the detestable enemy! The wife stared at the mountain and cried in regret. This was
the story where the brutes took the man’s life.
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